Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Here's the complete lineup and schedule for the 2011 edition of the American Jazz Museum's Rhythm & Ribs Festival. The top two headliners at the October 8 event are the funk band War (the version that doesn't include core members Howard Scott, Lee Oskar, B.B. Dickerson and Harold Brown) and frail blues legend Bobby "Blue" Bland. Christian McBride & Inside Straight perform on the main stage at 5 p.m. Guitarist Charlie Hunter appears inside The Blue Room at 8 p.m. A set featuring trumpeter Greg Gisbert, saxophonist Rob Scheps and pianist Roger Wilder begins at the club at 10:30 p.m.

*Marilyn Maye kicks off a new week-long stint at Jardine's on Sunday, August 28.

*"We as musicians have to take responsibility for bringing people to the music so it can have a chance," Hunter Long suggests in a stirring call to arms. "We have to stop acting like it's the club's job to provide us with an audience or that the government needs to have educated them 15 years ago so that they think we're relevant. We need to BE relevant."

*Another chapter in Kansas City's jazz history is salvaged by KCJazzLark.

*A recap of the Kauffman Center's opening night reminds readers that Diana Krall will appear and that "a 17-piece all-star big band led by Bobby Watson that will perform a commissioned suite honoring Kansas City jazz greats with the Kansas City Symphony. The jazz performance will include projections of images from the American Jazz Museum."

*I haven't seen a notification or discussion of this year's Charlie Parker gravesite memorial at Lincoln Cemetery, but in theory it will take place Sunday, August 28. Parker was born August 29, 1920, in Kansas City, Kansas.

(Original photo of Marbin at The Record Bar on August 21 by Plastic Sax.)

While there's only one Kenny Garrett, Anon 1015, saxophonist Steve Wilson is a member of Christian McBride's band. He's excellent. Dennis Winslett and Rob Scheps, two more fine saxophonists will also be featured. You should go.